Foot rest for chairs



y w; GRIMMICH 1,712,266

FOOT REST FOR CHAIRS Filed April 20 1925 INYE/VTO/FI Patented May 7,1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM GRIMMIOH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 EMIL J. PAIDAR GOM-IANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

FOOT BEST FOR CHAIRS.

This invention relates to improvements in foot rests tor chairs,surgical tables and the like, and particularly for reclining chairs, thetoot rests for which have heretofore projected at substantially aright-angle and are permanently secured thereto in their operative position or else pivotally suspended therefrom and tree at all times toswing upon their pivotal supports.

Foot rests permanently secured in their operative positions are subjectto the objection that the occupant must adjust his body, legs and feetto thetoot rest, and which is not only unsatisfactory, but results inhis discomfort, whereas ioo't rests tree to swing upon their pivotalsupports or operated by the pressure of the t-eet of the occupants arenot maintainable in any oi their adjusted positions.

The object of my invention, broadly stated, is to have a pivoted footrest provided with means for detachably looking it in its operativeposition throughout the several adjustments of the chair, regardless ofthe position of the occupant therein, and detachably locked when movedto the extremity of its operative position.

More specifically stated, the object of my invention is a foot restpivoted to and connected with its support by means of a shifting bearingor fulcrum for the pivot, and to maintain the foot rest yieldingly inits inoperative position by a compressible yielding means operating todetachably lock the foot rest to its suspending means against aeci--dental detachment, and, by the :lorce of its compression, direct thefoot rest to detachably locked engagement with its support.

lVith these ends in view, my invention finds embodiment in certainfeatures of novelty in the construction, combination and arrangement ofparts by which the said objects and certain other objects are attained,all as hereinafter fully described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings and more fully pointed out in the claims.

In said drawings,-

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a reclining chair in which my inventionfinds emb0diinent.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail'side elevation of the apron of the chairand the foot rest, in their operative positions, as shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of Fig. 1, showing the compression of the coiledspring indicated in dotted lines, when the foot rest is swung from theposition shown in Figs. 1 and .2 to a plane parallel with the apron.

Fig, 4 is a detail side elevation, partly in section, showing the apronin a horizontal position and the toot rest in its operative position, atsubstantially a right-angle thereto; and

Fig. 5 is a similar view, showing the foot rest after it has been swungfrom its operative position in Fig. 4 to a plane substantially parallelwith the apron.

Similar characters of reference indicate the same parts in the severalfigures of the drawings.

6 indicates a suitable pedestal upon which is mounted a reclining chairbody, provided with a seat 7, back rest 8, head rest 9, arms 10, 10, andapron or leg rest portion 11, which seat, back, head rest, arms andapron, may be of ordinary construction, connected in the usual manne andoperated from and to their inclined positions by means of a hand lever12, and, as shown in the drawings, may be operated from either side ofthe chair and the chair moved from the position shown in Fig. 1 to aposition in which the back, seat and apron may be moved to theirinclined and horizontal positions.

To the apron or leg rest 11 is secured an angular plate 13 by means ofset-screws ll, 14:, which plate embraces the side and a portion of thebottom of the apron and is provided with an ear 15, projecting outwardlybeyond the outer edge of the apron or leg rest, so that the bottom edgeof the plate forms a stop for retaining the foot rest 17 against accidental movement, both when in its operative position, as shown inFigs. 2 and 4t, and in its inoperative position, as shown in Figs. 3 and5. i

Foot rest 17 is provided with an end bearing or bar 18, having thereinan elongated slot 19, adapted to receive and provide a shifting fulcrumfor a pintle 20, projecting inwardly from the ear 15, in which elongatedslot 19 is a coiled spring 21, one end of which abuts against the endwall of the slot, and the other against the pintle 20, to provide ayielding support for the pintle throughout the movement of the footrest.

In this connection, it is now to be noted that end wall of the slot inengagement with the pintle 20, and yieldingly retain theend bar 18 incontact with the shoulder 16 until the end bar is manually lifted to theposition indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 4:.

The lifting of the end bar, as above described, compresses the spring sothat when the end bar is swung to its inoperative position, that is tosay, in a plane substantially parallel with that of the apron, thecompressive force of the spring will then operate to automaticallyproject the end bar to engagement with the shoulder 16, formed by theplate 13, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5, and automatically lock the footrest against accidental disengagement from the shoulder.

For detaching the end bar from engagement with the shoulder 16, the footrest is manually pulled outwardly until the end bar 18 is disengagedfrom the shoulder 16, whereupon on manually swinging the foot resttowards its operative position, the compressive force of the spring 21will automatically depress the end bar to its operative position inlocked engagement with the shoulder 16, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

When a reclining chair is in its upright position, as shown in Fig. 1,the free end of the foot rest is in contact with and supported bythefloor'for the chair, so that if the footrest is out of its operativeposition before reaching the floor, it will .be, by its engagement withthe floor, automatically moved by the floor to, and detachably locked inits operative position, and the position it should always occupy whenthe chair is in its upright position.

Vhen the foot rest is used in connection with a swivel chair, it ispreferably provided with casters 22, 22, to prevent the dragging of thefoot rest on the floor throughout the movement of the chair on itsswivel.

Believing that I am the first to provide a pivoted foot rest with anymeans adapted for detachably locking it in its operative and inoperativepositions; to utilize the floor support for a chair as a means forautomatically swinging a pivoted foot rest from its inoperative to itsoperative position, and which is adapted to be manually operated, it isapparent that my invention is not to be limited to the details ofconstruction herein shown and described, and that it not only includesthe use of mechanical equivalents thereof, but any means by which itispossible and practicable to secure the new and useful resultsattributable to my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent 1s:

1. In a chair of the character described, an apron having extending sidemembers, and a shoulder on each member, a foot rest having a pivotal andsliding relation with said members and yielding means for forcing therear edge of the foot rest against said shoulders when said foot rest isin alinement with said apron, and for forcing the rear end of said footrest beyond said shoulders when said foot rest is at an angle to saidapron.

2. In a chair of the character described, an apron having forwardlyextending side members, each side member having an inwardly directedpivot pin, a foot rest having a slot in each side for receiving a pivotpin, a spring between each pivot pin and the rear end of the slot, and ashoulder on one member, said spring serving to force the rear end ofsaid foot rest against said shoulder when said foot rest is in alinementwith said apron and serving to force the rear end of said foot. restbeyond said shoulder when said foot rest is substantially at a rightangle to said apron.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 9th day of April.1925.

\VILLIAM GRIMMICH.

